Local

Heat and drought have been mentioned in the news this week nearly as much as the 2012 Olympics.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported Tuesday that July was the hottest month ever recorded in the lower 48 states, breaking a record set during the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. The average temperature last month was 77.6 degrees, which tops the record of 77.4 degrees set in July 1936. Records date back to 1895.

The strange case of a Lancaster man found shot to death along a Chester County street took another turn this week when a Richburg man was arrested for his murder.

Antwan Terrill White, 21, was arrested Wednesday, Aug. 8, and charged with murder in connection with the death of 39-year-old Lancaster resident Michael Jermaine Terry on July 29, according to a press release from Chester County Sheriff Richard Smith.

The S.C. Department of Transportation (SCDOT) Maintenance Division is replacing the bridge over Little Creek on Horne Twitty Road approximately 3.8 miles northeast of Heath Springs.

According to a SCDOT release, a routine inspection rated the bridge as structurally deficient. Due to the relatively low traffic volume, and to minimize the impact to area property owners, the road will be closed during this replacement. The road will be closed beginning Monday, Aug. 13. The estimated completion date is Oct. 31.

A Lancaster County Sheriff’s Investigator, who was recently named Deputy of the Year, is recovering after he was slashed in the neck by an inmate Wednesday morning, Aug. 8.
Sheriff Barry Faile confirmed Investigator Fred Thompson was attacked during an inmate interview early Wednesday, but has been treated for his injuries and is recuperating.